Can a pension from another country be paid into my bank account abroad?

In the systems we cite here, yes: the institution pays pensioners who live abroad and asks them to register where the money goes, and some ask for notice when that changes. Japan: A pensioner moving abroad must file the 'Registration (Change) of Address and Receiving Financial Institution for Pension Beneficiaries Residing Overseas' form by the last day of the month before last relative to the pension payment date (Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026). Germany: A pensioner moving to another country must tell the Renten Service of Deutsche Post AG at least two months before the move. The source states the two months' notice is what allows the bank details to be changed and the pension to be paid without interruption ("So kann Ihre Bankverbindung umgestellt und Ihre Rente ohne Unterbrechung gezahlt werden"); it does not state a penalty (Source: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de, read 1 September 2026). The rule is set by the country that pays, so each pension has its own form and its own notice period.

What do institutions ask for before a move?

Belgium. A pensioner paid by bank transfer who will stay at another address abroad for more than one month must inform the Federal Pensions Service at least one month before leaving (Source: sfpd.fgov.be, read 1 September 2026).

How do institutions check payments abroad?

Italy. Once in payment abroad, Citibank checks existence in life for INPS each year: for the 2026 first phase, forms went out from 20 March, attestations were due by 18 July, and INPS states that where nothing was produced by 19 August the pension is suspended from the September instalment (Source: inps.it, read 3 October 2026). Our post on life certificates sets out the yearly checks in other countries.

Where does a route assume a local account?

Before a pension is paid, some official routes rest on an account in the country itself.

• United Kingdom. Checking what you are owed means signing in and proving your identity against a list built around UK documents and UK bank accounts (Source: gov.uk, read 3 October 2026).
• India. A former employee who left India two decades ago has no live Aadhaar, often no UAN at all because the number only began in 2014, and no Indian bank account to receive a settlement (Source: epfindia.gov.in, uidai.gov.in and pib.gov.in, read 4 October 2026).

Can money left in a fund be moved to a bank account?

In some cases. Singapore, for a CPF account closed after the member gave up citizenship or permanent residence: The savings can still be transferred to a bank account at any time (Source: cpf.gov.sg, read 1 September 2026).

Which currency is the pension paid in?

We hold no sourced row on the currency of payment for the countries we research, so we do not answer that here. The institution of each country states it, and our country hubs name the institution: Japan, Germany, Belgium, Italy, United Kingdom, India and Singapore.

Our free pension checker and our free map start from your own work history. Our pension questions pages answer single country questions, our authority answers publish what national pension institutions told us in writing, and our monthly data release publishes our agreement routes and deadline rows as CSV, each with its source and read date.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to tell the institution when my bank account changes? In the systems above, yes, and some ask for notice before a move. Our post on reporting changes sets out the time limits.

Does PensionHunter handle payments? No. We identify and research. We hold no money and give no financial advice.

Sources

• Deadline register row jp-15, citing nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row de-14, citing deutsche-rentenversicherung.de, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row be-10, citing sfpd.fgov.be, read 1 September 2026.
• Italy, pension portals directory entry, citing inps.it, read 3 October 2026.
• Deadline register row sg-16, citing cpf.gov.sg, read 1 September 2026.
• United Kingdom, pension portals directory entry, citing gov.uk, read 3 October 2026.
• India, pension portals directory entry, citing epfindia.gov.in, uidai.gov.in and pib.gov.in, read 4 October 2026.